I acquired a DIY marbling kit for Christmas so I might be trying this soon. Hopefully I’ll spring for a marbling tray so I don’t stain my bathtub, but I’ve been known to be a less than careful crafter when I’m struck with an urge to make something.

2. Making Candy

I experimented with chocolate and toffee and truffles during the holidays, but I’d never made gummi candy before. Until a few weeks ago. And the thing is, it’s SO easy! You just mix a large box of Jell-O with 3 packets of plain gelatin and 2/3 cup of water, let it sit for 5 minutes, then boil it until the crystals dissolve. Then you pour it into little silicone molds (it makes about two molds since there is so little liquid involved), let it sit for half an hour, and they pop RIGHT out. Easiest thing ever. Totally gross and artificial, but who am I to criticize that. I love candy.

3. Nurturing A Creative Soul

My son is really coming into his own as a tiny artist. He is not one to receive instruction or take direction often or with ease, but he has been asking for drawing lessons lately, and I oblige. He even added some…umm…”flair” to a rough sketch of mine. I’m not sure that it needed purses or Christmas trees, but he thought it did.

4. Rocks

A few weeks ago I rediscovered my childhood “100 Rocks of North America” chart, and it brought back awesome memories.

It’s hard to tell from my picture, but they really are super colorful and cover a wide spectrum of neutrals. They remind me of these agate platters from LEIF ($50 – currently sold out, but they should be back in stock soon).

5. Free Stuff!

I’ll be doing a GIVEAWAY on the blog next week! Look out for it – it’s a good one!

I haven’t pickled anything since last summer when I went over to a friend’s house, and a group of us had an afternoon of pickling and preserving. Before that I hadn’t pickled anything, well…, ever. We made pickles, dilly beans, spicy carrots, and a blueberry jam (which never quite set up but was great on pancakes). These were our creations, minus the blueberry syrupy/jammy whatever-it-was.

So this weekend, almost a year later, I decided to take on some spicy carrot pickles all by myself. They turned out pretty well! I haven’t tasted them in their final stage yet because they need a few days to marinate, but I’m really hopeful. The best part was that they were incredibly fast and easy to make. So here’s a how-to in case you’re interested in making them for yourself.

Actually, before I start, let me tell you one thing: if you ever want to feel what it might be like to have non-functioning lungs, try chopping some jalapenos then boiling some vinegar. Then you’ll know what that feels like.

So now that that has been said, here we go:

All you need is 3 1- pint jars, 2 pounds of carrots (the big bag, if you buy your carrots from the grocery store), about 4 cloves of garlic, 1 jalapeno, 4 cups of distilled white vinegar, 1 cup of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of salt.

First you peel the carrots. It’s a lot of carrots to peel, but it’s worth it. Don’t judge me by how clean my sink is, but rather, judge me for how fast my hands are moving and my cool and retro yellow colander.

Then you cut the carrots into sticks about the size of your little finger. That’s a lot of carrots to cut.

Slice up the garlic and jalapenos. This is the part where your husband starts to complain about how spicy things smell and how they’re “bothering his nose.” Just ignore him; he is not as tough as you when it comes to the kitchen.

Next, you take three pint jars and put the garlic and jalapenos in the bottom (divide them up evenly, or you can experiment with different amounts of spice between the jars if you’re not sure what you’re up for in the heat department). If you like things super spicy, add an extra jalapeno or some crushed red pepper flakes. Add the carrot sticks to the jars, making sure they’re short enough to leave about 1” of room at the top. Note: Make sure your pint jars are very clean; I had my assistant who is also my webmaster who is also my lawyer who is also my husband wash them for me while I chopped the veggies.

Boil your vinegar on the stove in a non-reactive pot (stainless steel, glass, and enamel are fine; aluminum, copper and cast-iron are not fine). Try not to breathe. Add the sugar and salt when the vinegar is boiling, then stir to dissolve.

Once the vinegar/sugar/salt solution was all dissolved, I let the brine sit off of the heat for a few minutes so it wasn’t super duper hot, then I poured it over the carrot jars with the help of a ladle. Make sure you have liquid about 1/2” over the top of the carrots, and that you then leave about 1/2” of space between the top of the liquid and the top of the jar. Then, cap those jars and you’re DONE. That’s it. I said it was easy!

These will be ready to eat in about a day, and will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. Keep in mind this is cold-packing and not preserving. So you can’t put these in the pantry and expect to pull them out for Thanksgiving, know what I mean? That would make your mouth pucker for an entirely different, really unpleasant reason.

Let me know if you make these or if you have any other good pickling recipes. I’m a sucker for vinegary things, so I’d love to hear about it!

My son turned FOUR yesterday, which is a big deal if you didn’t already know that about turning four.

It’s also a big deal to me, because I feel like this:

…turned into this overnight:

And I guess it kind of did. I guess that’s just how it happens.

His cake of choice was a “Pinata Cake” which I found here at A Subtle Revelry. If you want to make this for yourself, I definitely encourage you to try via the tutorial: it wasn’t too difficult, and the end result was awesome.

Basically, you bake two “layers” in pyrex bowls. After a thorough cooling session, you carve the insides out (to make each half like a scooped out melon). Then you fill one of the “bowls” with candy, top it with the other to form a sphere, and frost it.

It looks like this from the top. Just like a regular cake.

And when you cut into it, it looks like THIS:

So fun. So good. So easy. Give it a try for your next 4th or 5th or 35th birthday – I bet you’ll like it!

Here we go again…another deviation from my specialty – design – into the world of food. But this is worth it. Trust me.

It’s a miracle in my house is all three of us can agree on the same dinner, save for mac-and-cheese/pizza/tacos. But I think we’ve found a new item for the “sure-thing” rotation: Peanut Noodles! These are thai-inspired (which means that I disclaim any actual authenticity) but the flavors are there. Here’s the basic idea:

If you’re interested in trying this dish out in your house I’ll give you my basic instructions; as you probably know if you follow my blog, I’m not big on exacting recipes.

First, make some noodles: we use fettuccine, but you could use spaghetti, penne, ditalini, soba noodles, or what ever you like.

While the water boils and the noodles cook, saute bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots in some canola oil; use between 2 and 4 cups of fresh veggies. (I didn’t include canola oil in my collage: forgive me, it just isn’t that sexy). When they’re basically done, throw in some frozen shelled edamame. Turn the heat off.

Mix together your sauce. For half of a box of noodles (4 servings) I use the following proportions: about 1/2 cup of peanut butter, about 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and water, and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Into that mixture, grate about a “thumb’s worth” of ginger; you’re going to need a microplane. Squeeze in the juice of about 1/2 of a small lime. Whisk it together; you’ll need a whisk because the peanut butter is stronger than your spoon.

At this point your sauce is ready to roll. Your veggies have cooked but are still crunchy. Your noodles should be just about done. When they are done, drain them and put them back in the pot they cooked in. Add the veggie mixture, pour in the sauce, and stir it all up. Throw in about a handful of chopped cilantro, and you’re DONE.

It’s that easy.

If you’re like me and love spiciness, there is one last crucial step:

There. Now you’re done.

You can get the yellow and white bowl pictured above here at CB2 for $30.

I hope you enjoy this easy dinner as much as we do. Have a great rest of the short week!

In an attempt to be festive..and because I’m hungry…I’ve rounded up some Fourth of July treats that you can create this long weekend. Each are relatively simple, look incredibly tasty, and of course pass the “adorable” test. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

This Fruited Cheesecake Flag from Martha Stewart is summery and sweet. She has all the best ideas; I’d never think to make the “white” stripe from powdered sugar…I’d probably be peeling strawberries to achieve a similar color.

Here’s an easy one for you: a Red, White, and Blue Sangria, with the fruit densities already thoughtfully calculated to give you a perfectly tiered beverage!

I always hesitate to include two or more crafts or treats from the same source in a round-up, but damn Martha. What can I say. Enjoy these simple flags – you’ll love them if you loved those Rainbow-in-a-bag St. Patrick’s Day thingys that took over Pinterest the entire month of March!

Even though red, white, and blue food is pretty simple to make, it doesn’t have to be super sweet or 100% fruity. Try this ultra-easy-but-still-I’d-never-have-thought-of-it Watermelon and Feta plate from Wenderly.

And just because this is a decorating blog and I can’t help myself, don’t forget to throw these pillowcases (which are a set of two from Urban Outfitters…for $34!) on your guest or beach house bed. Love them!

It’s cold and rainy again. Which is a bummer after lots of 60 degree “winter days” so far this year. But not to worry – dinner will be warm, tasty, and restorative. Best of all it’ll be easy, because we’re having chili! I’m not big on recipes (which occasionally…just occasionally…can cause problems) but I’ll give you my how-to version here so you can make your own pot.

Here goes…

1.) Grab some veggies, chop them, and give them a quick saute in olive oil or vegetable oil: garlic, an onion, a red pepper (or green, or yellow), a jalapeno (seeds if you love the heat, no seeds if you don’t), and any tomatoes you have on hand. Don’t forget to salt and pepper them!

2.) Throw these sauteed veggies into a crockpot.

3.) Add a can of rotel, about a cup of chicken or veggie stock, and can or two of tomato sauce/paste/crushed tomatoes, or whatever liquidish tomato products you have on hand. Don’t forget to pour in about half of your beer.

4.) Drink the rest.

5.) Throw in a handful of chopped cilantro (but save some for serving), chili powder (a packet, your own mix, whatever you feel comfortable with) and some cumin. I love extra cumin.

6.) My secret weapon enters here: cube up a sweet potato into little pieces, each about the size of a big pea. Throw these in, too. They’ll add some nice sweetness and texture. You can throw your beans in now: two cans is about the right amount. I like black and kidney. But you might not.

Now that was easy, wasn’t it?

Cook all this stuff on high for a few hours, then turn it to low. You may want to leave the lid askew to evaporate some of the liquid and thicken up your chili. After a few hours, season to taste with more salt, pepper, spices, and cilantro. Bake yourself up some cornbread, and serve this in pretty bowls (like the “Gemma Link” bowl above from Crate and Barrel) garnished with sour cream, cheese, green onions, more cilantro, and some chopped avocado (my favorite).

So this is a bit awkward: another cooking post from me…a designer. Not a cook.

If I can deal with it, I’m confident you can too. In fact, since you’re being so cooperative I’ll throw you a bone and point you toward this colorful olive oil jar from Dean & DeLuca. Who cares about how convenient it is when you see how cute it’ll look on your counter?

Lately we’ve been struggling to get my son to eat new foods. A boy can not live on strawberries, black olives, and bacon alone. We’ve implemented a “new food chart” with stickers, and we’re introducing lots of new veggies, grains, and meats to him on a regular basis. One other thing we do is vary preparations often so that he’s exposed to a wide range of flavors and textures: I know I hate wilted, soft broccoli…but throw it in a super hot oven for half an hour and I’ll eat POUNDS of the crusty, brown-edged roasted stuff. Recently, cauliflower has been something I’m using a lot of lately around our house. It’s versatile, cheap, and lasts a long time. It doesn’t smell so great raw though, but that’s just a temporary issue; you can’t win them all!

Here are three basic cauliflower recipes that all start the same way: a roasting pan or pyrex dish, olive oil + salt and pepper, cauliflower florets, and a 400 degree oven. The add-ins are what make it special, and I love them all equally (but differently!). To make these scrumptious sides, just toss the ingredients, throw ’em into a hot oven, and bake away until they’re as crunchy or brown as you like them. A shorter cooking time will get you brighter, crunchier veggies; a longer bake time will get you a more rustic result with deeper flavor (especially the tomatoes). Hope you enjoy the veggie combos!I know we do!

Cauliflower + Chick Peas + Cumin.

Cauliflower + Brussels Sprouts (halved, flat side down!) + Balsamic

Cauliflower + Grape Tomatoes + Lemon Zest

There you have it – super easy sides that go with just about anything. What’s your favorite veggie these days? Got any secrets to share?